Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1887-12-09
OLYMPIA. WASHINGTON TER.
OLYMPIA. FRIDAY EVENING, DEC. 9. 1857
Organization of the Legislature.

Organization of the Legislature.
As will be seen by the report of pro-
ceedings in this issue of the STANDARD,
the House effected an organization
Tuesday, on a strictly partisan basis,
the Republicans having majority OF
three, which gave them a clear sweep
of the Offices from Speaker to Page.
There was some manifestations OF a
rupture in caucus, but the troubled
waters were stillcd in time to prevent
the ship from stranding, and now
everything is apparently as harmon
ious as a party of odds-and-ends can
possibly make it. Mr.. Humes, the
newly-elected member from King
county, doomed up for time as pos
sibly successful aspirant for Speaker,
but the regularly selected Representa-
tiyes considered him too new if not too
fresh, and united on Mr.. Clark, OF
Walla Walla, a young man OF much
modesty, if not Of parliamentary ex-
perience. Hon. VIM. H. BUGGY, the
Democratic war-horse, received the
complimentary vote of his party, but
further than this the Democrats made
no demonstration of their strength.
The organization OF the Council
hung fire till Wednesday, the con-
tending forces being evenly divided.
The Democrats, from the first, advo-
Gated q compromise and even division
of the Offices and committees, priority
of selection to be determined, as usual
under such circumstances in deliber-
alive bodies, by lot. This did not suit
the Republicans, who insisted upon the
choice of their candidate for President,
which in caucus had fallen upon the
member from Clarke, Rev. j. K.
Thompson. A determined demand
was likewise made for Sergeant-at-arms,
for which position Mr.. Barlow OF Pierce
had been selected. After much delay,
and frequent conferences of a COM
mittee of six, selected by the men,
bers to affect an adjustment, the Dem
ocrats yielded the first point, gaining
the second, which placed Mr.. Vincent,
q gentleman from east of the noun
tains in the only other place OF con-
tention. The remainder of the offices
were selected from both parties, and
the committees arranged according to
programme.
The only reason given by the Re-
publicans for this contentious spirit
was that two of the gentlemen acting
with the Democrats had been elected
on a Peoples Ticket, and that the
party was really entitled to a represen-
tation of but four in arranging the
details. The fact that they were true
blue Democrats, and intended to act
with the party throughout the session.
did not seem to possess any weight
with those who are SO accustomed to
trump up excuses to justify any course
of action that "party necessity" de-
mands. They likewise poised, as a
club, threat to refuse confirmation OF
nominations for Territorial officers, but
as there was not much prospect that
it could be successfully hurled, il
was not very potent factor i'll the
matter, or serious cause for alarm
The concession of the Democrats that
the first Office should 60 to their op
ponents was made to obviate further
delay and begin at once the work o.
the session. Viewed from non-parti
san standpoint it was highly COM
mendable that they should yield &
point that the public interests NIGH
not suffer from prolonged and vexa
tious delay.
Mr.. Thompson, rs presiding Office
exhibits none of the timidity of tn
Speaker of the House, and both branch
es Of the Assembly may be said Il
have selected excellent material il
their subordinate officers for the ex
petition of business.